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Kyton von Richtofen
Not to be confused with the CRS Richtofen The Autarch of Chiron is one hell of a man. He was baptized in Babel Tar during an air raid that caused him to fall into the pits by accident, and gained bizarre abilities and qualities, including apparent immortality and the ability to briefly glimpse the future and far-away places. He is ostensibly the highest ruler of Chiron, though substantial power also resides in Hermann Sternfleischer and Angela Boden. He sees foreign influence as a cancer on the soul of the Ximbri people and wants a return to tradition, to build Chiron as a nation of happy farmers living in peace. He thus agrees with the other two on the necessity of genocide and racial purity, and thus their general ideas for the near future of Chiron overlap. He instituted a policy of encouraging Zells to live on the underside of Chiron via tax break and cash incentive, because he wants more void users. As he sees everything that the Stygian Oil sees, he is one of very few people to know what the Zells are actually on about when they discuss things like seas and lobsters and stars that aren't eyes. Kyton Von Richtofen, Autarch of Chiron, is the current leader of the Thousand Year Reich of Chiron. He is seemingly immortal, having been exposed fully to Babel Tar during an accident, and rose to power alongside Hermann Sternfleischer during the late Republican period of the country. He is a keen politician and a dangerous leader. Physical Description Richtofen looks every part the aristocrat that he is. Tall, stately, with handsome features and a perpetually serene expression. He has black hair and blue eyes, like most Chironites. He pioneered the clean-shaven look that now dominates the military and political fashions of Chiron, supposedly because he disliked how his mustache interfered with his dining habits. Because he fought as an officer in the War of Containment, he wears a military uniform as part of his official regalia. Early Life Richtofen was the son of a Duke, and was educated in the Military Academy at Kadenburg. He achieved a doctorate in Chemical Engineering and a second in Economics, but continued in military service regardless. He was shot twice during the First War of Containment, and nearly perished in an artillery barrage in Galli. He spent the rest of the war recovering in the countryside, denied repeated requests to return to the front with his men. Post-War Politics After Chiron's defeat in CWI, Richtofen's family was stripped of noble titles along with the rest of the aristocracy, and Kyton was forced to work for a living, which he did successfully as an engineer working for a chemical production firm. It was Richtofen who developed the "Richtofen Process" of mass synthesizing ammonia for fertilizer, a brilliant process which earned him millions of reichsmarks and heralded him as the "savior of Ximbri agriculture," which he was later able to leverage into political clout with the claim that for every three loafs of bread eaten in Chiron, he had grown the grain for two of them. Richtofen later advocated for the return to the Monarchy, though at the time nobody, himself included, believed that he would eventually become the Autarch. An unlikely alliance formed between the nobleman and then SNVP junior Hermann Sternfleischer. Quickly becoming friends over a series of engineering debates, the two hatched a scheme to launch the SNVP to power using the growing KPX as a scapegoat for the country's ills. This plan was wildly successful. After a vote to restore the monarchy, Richtofen was unexpectedly nominated to take the throne as Autarch (Emperor in all but name) and was voted in with a 4/5ths majority. Current Role Richtofen's meteoric rise to power culminated in his inaugeration as Autarch. He now shares power with the Prime Minister Sternfleischer and his closer (if less trustworthy) ally Angela Boden, the head of the Abwehr. Richtofen is a radical nationalist even by the standards of the SNVP, and genuinely believes in the divine destiny of the Ximbri people--even if he is more moderate than Sternfleischer in that regard. Richtofen acts as a moderating influence on his two younger colleagues, but he is also far, far more callous regarding human life. During the early days of the Second War of Containment, a daring bombing raid on the Babel Pits intended to disrupt Chiron's supply of Angeleaters shook the building surrounding the innermost pit, causing Richtofen to slip and fall into the Babel Tar. Somehow, Richtofen not only survived the incident but emerged changed, and seemingly immortal. He cannot be killed by bullet, blade or even fire, and has stopped aging since the incident. It is not even clear if he still needs to eat or breathe to live. Ideology Richtofen is more moderate than Sternfleischer, but more idealistic than Boden when it comes to his political views. He does not see Chiron's dominance as a moral imperative, but more as a natural consequence of their racial superiority. Richtofen does not despise other peoples, and advocated strongly for reestablishing Galli, Poland and other conquered countries so that their people could continue to dwell there without being displaced. He may consider them to be inferior to the Ximbri, but he believes in the necessity that each people have a homeland--even if, of course, those nations should be subservient to Chiron, and thus, to him.